


Oxyosmia

by Demon_Apostle



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Genji makes very brief appearances, Implied Sexual Content, Jesse McCree & Genji Shimada Are Best Friends, Light Angst, M/M, Short One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 18:37:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13619292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demon_Apostle/pseuds/Demon_Apostle
Summary: Jesse McCree and his acute sense of smell.





	Oxyosmia

**Author's Note:**

> So I ran across this medical term a while back and completely forgot about it until recently. Then I thought "I could use this in some way", so here I am, carrying a very short one shot with a bit of medical inaccuracies after a very long break of writing. Someone save me from college projects.
> 
> I own nothing.

If there's one thing Jesse McCree knew vividly, it was scent. That's the one thing that always stuck out to him, how something smelled and the feelings he associated with that. There were many times that those who knew about McCree's penchant for odors and aromas teased him about having the nose of a bloodhound since he could always pick out certain scents. The man would just roll his eyes and sometimes compared that person's smell to something foul depending on who it was.

 

Of course, being able to pinpoint and enjoy particular smells had its ups and downs. On one hand, McCree never forgot the aroma of his mom's cooking or the perfume she wore for special occasions. He also never forgot the scent of his father's garden, a man whose thumb was greener than his own plants. Then there's the smoke from his cigars, the steam from a mug of fresh coffee, even the fruity air freshener Ana would spray all over the watchpoint, complaining about the sweat and musk from the soldiers too “busy” to shower. There are so many smells McCree never forgets and attribute to happier times.

 

However, there are also plenty of scents the gunslinger wishes he could forget. The iron grit of blood, the punch of gunpowder, the stench of too much whiskey and bourbon on lonely nights. Hell, even the sterile smell of medication and store brand detergent had become too much for McCree after visiting the infirmary one too many times.

 

And when the cowboy meets one Hanzo Shimada, he expects yet another unpleasant scent to add to the list.

 

The old Overwatch members know of Hanzo's background, of his past, his misdeeds. When he shows up in Gibraltar, a few outright show their displeasure, still sore about Genji and his pain. Others give strained smiles and an attempt at showing the man a little kindness while those who don't know him at all mostly steer clear because of his glare. McCree doesn't do any of this, content to sit back and watch Hanzo from afar to see what he does. The gunslinger won't pretend to be happy to have someone new join the ranks, but Genji had asked that everyone give his brother a chance.

 

McCree knows how to respect someone's wishes, so he'll oblige for now.

 

Of course, the cowboy doesn't stop himself from trying to connect Hanzo with a certain scent. Almost everyone on the base has one, from Torbjörn who constantly smells like burning oil to Zenyatta who unsurprisingly brings with him the aroma of lavender, most likely a direct result of the incense sticks he uses when meditating. So when Hanzo begins trying to integrate as much as he wants to into their little ragtag group, McCree tries to pin him with his own scent.

 

At first, they're all odors he despises because as much as the gunslinger wants to listen to Genji, he's also upset about what happened to the cyborg. So he thinks that maybe Hanzo might smell of blood because of the whole assassin thing, but he then remembers that nearly everyone in Overwatch has taken a life, so the thought doesn't seem fair. Next is the stench of despair, McCree's fancy way of describing alcohol since he's experienced the same thing and had noticed the gourd always at Hanzo's hip. The archer's constant scowl might also play a part, but as stated earlier, more than one person in Overwatch has tried drowning their demons with liquor.

 

It isn't until McCree is about to settle on a really strong, chemical based form of cleaner for Hanzo's weapons does he get the shock of a lifetime.

 

It wasn't the best moment seeing as how the brothers had gotten into a little spat in one of the watchpoints unused rooms, arguing in Japanese that McCree couldn't completely follow. Hanzo had stormed out of the room, not sparing the cowboy a glance as he quickly brushed past to most likely storm his way to the roof. It took a few seconds, but once the man passed him, McCree caught the scent of something strong. Overpowering. Fruity.

 

He thinks it was strawberry.

 

McCree isn't quite sure what to make of the fact that the deadly assassin known as Hanzo Shimada likes to smell nicer than his history would suggest, but he doesn't see it as a bad thing. Especially not when McCree ends up befriending the older man and is allowed to be closer than the others. After that point, the gunslinger is constantly guessing what aroma it is Hanzo likes to wear because for some reason, it's always changing.

 

First it was strawberry, the day the assassin had brushed past. Then it had been cherry when they were sparring together. Apple when both men were sitting on the rooftop, looking at the stars without a drop of alcohol in their stomachs. Strawberries again when they shared their first kiss, but orange when they had their second. Kiwi when they had spent a night together in McCree's room to chase off shadows taking the shapes of the dead then watermelon when they went on their first date.

 

The scent of cherries came back during their first time being thoroughly intimate, but the cowboy didn't mind the smell of sweat that clung to Hanzo's skin that particular night either.

 

Later on, McCree does find out that the archer indeed enjoys sweet smelling aromas as much as he does food if the multiple soap bottles are anything to go by. The new bit of information makes Hanzo a little embarrassed, a flush to his skin that McCree finds unbearably adorable, but the older man is reassured that his love for fruity body wash is accepted and loved. Especially when the gunslinger finally finds the perfect word to associate with Hanzo's smell.

 

Home.

**Author's Note:**

> I am a tree for I produce copious amounts of SAP.


End file.
